Has anyone climbed at Puffer Mountain before? I made a trip out this past winter for ice climbing...but made a navigation mistake and never made it to the cliffs.

Motivated to ice climb there this winter, I made a trip back to the area with my climbing partner to find where we turned wrong. Ends up we started at the wrong trail head because we didn't spot the flagpole that was noted in Adk Rock.

After a 5.5 hr bushwack, flagging trees along the way to help out in the winter, we arrived at the cliffs. There is definitely multi-pitch rock and ice potential. Tons of nice looking vertical cracks, very clean for not getting any traffic. Along the way were some nice boulders also, but carrying a pad would not be very ideal. There was also a lower cliff that looked suitable for single pitch climbs.

It would definitely have to be a multi-day trip to get anything out of it. The approach may be easier in the winter with ice over the creeks, but I can guarantee that there will be no broken trail for 80% of the way. There are a few dry areas under overhangs that could be used as a "base camp".

Not to start a war or anything here, but when you go back take your flagging down. Orange surveyors tape has zero place in the woods. Period. This comes from someone who has bushwhacked all over the Adirondacks, even on Puffer Mountain, and has never understood why people need to leave that stuff around for somebody else to clean up. You didn't leave any other litter did you?

Yeah...pollution is pollution. Period. We go to places like indian pass or puffer mountain etc to get away from everyday life and civilization and seeing something like would really get my goat in the wilderness

Agree with the two above. The bushwhacking around Puffer Mountain can be brutal, but I've been in that area many times and we have never needed to mark our trail. Orange tape out there is going to upset a lot of people. Besides, what is a trip to Puffer without two - three hours of stumbling around in the bushes going "where the fuck am I?!"

You actually have to LOOK hard to see the flagging. It is not like there are tens or hundreds of flags around the trail. I would be surprised if many people ever walk by our flags, seeing that they would have to bushwacked the same exact way as we did to find them. Not saying that everywhere should be flagged, but the orange is basically camouflage in the changing leaves. They will be taken down after approaching in the winter.

Max,I didn't leave any other litter. I actually picked up some old bottles that I found along the way to help clean up the trail system. Do you guys also get upset looking at bolts on routes? Think of this like a "bolted" trail.

To counter the above points: I can see that flagging clearly in your picture, and I'm not looking very hard.

Second, bolts on a route and flagging in the woods are two separate and completely different scenarios. Bolts are used for rock climbing to protect otherwise unprotectable sections of rock or provide an adequate belay when none exists... or that's the way they're supposed to be used. Bolts are sometimes necessary to make a route reasonably safe but flagging in the woods marking a route for hiking is NEVER necessary to make anything safe.

I am indeed absolutely opposed to unnecessary bolts, just as I am opposed to flagging. You somehow got yourselves there once, right? What exactly is the difficulty in doing it again? I've been bushwhacking for most of my life and have NEVER, EVER considered using flagging for any reason. If you feel like you have to mark a trail for some reason use a cairn, at least that way the next guy to come along can kick it over and does not have to pack out your trash!

Lastly, I've heard the "we'll take our flagging down" line a whole bunch of times before yet seem to come across that stuff disturbingly often.

I'll be sure to post back here with photos of the removed flagging when that time comes. It is easier to see in a photo than in the woods when there is a lot going on outside of the frame and you are not looking directly at the wide side of the flagging. Do you get upset about reflective markings on trees from NYS? Some trails are obvious, but there are still markings. I am fairly certain that I came across flagging last winter around Puffer, but it wasn't an eyesore at all.